iPhone 5: Blending beauty with versatility

As I played around with the iPhone 5 on Wednesday, I wondered what the late Steve Jobs would have thought about the latest twist on Apple's best-selling device.

It didn't take long to conclude Jobs would have been delighted with the iPhone 5's blend of beauty, utility and versatility.

Add in the more advanced technology and new features that went into this iPhone, and it's clear Apple has come up with another product that will compel hordes of people to line up outside its stores before its September 21 release in the US, Japan, Britain, Germany, France and four other countries.

The mad dash to buy the iPhone 5 will be repeated again on September 28 when it goes on sale in 22 other countries.

All the models of the iPhone 5 will sell for the same prices as its predecessor, starting at $199 (almost Rs 11000 for the 16 GB model) with a two-year data and calling plan.

An important caveat about these impressions: I was only allotted about 15 minutes with the iPhone 5 at Wednesday's launch event, not enough time to discover if it might have some technological bugs.

I am sure in the coming days other reviewers will have the opportunity to give the phone a more thorough vetting.